Wave-motor.



I. LACHANCE.

WAVE MoToR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-28.1914. l 154 033, Pa1en1edsep121,1915.

9 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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coLUMEIA PLANOURAPH C0., WASHINGTC'NY D. c.

J. LACHANCE.

WAVE MoToR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-28.1914.

1,154,033- Patented sept. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEEY 2.

M flttozucgl coLUMBlA PLANOGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

JOSEPH LACHANCE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Aapplication filed `S:elp .,t ernber 2,8, 1914. Serial No. 863,980.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, Josnrrr LncnANon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, lhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wave-Motors, of which the following vis a 4'specification.

This invention relates .to wave motors, and has for its primary object ,to provide a simple but .thoroughly efficient and practical device for utilizing the power waves'of a stream, lake or ocean.

A further object of my ilrentan is t0 provide a device of thischaracter which will derive the greatest amount of .power from the waves, which iseasy and cheap in installation, and which `will not become deranged.

A still further and more particular object of my invention is to provide a wave motor wherein .the Lpower collecting velements may be easily adjusted froin the Ashore or power house to render ,the saine most efficient vaccording to the ebb and flow Iof thetides.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects Ain .view nay invention consists in the Enovel rcombination land arrangement ogf parts, all as will be .described hereinafter and kparticularly pointedoult in the claims.

My invention will be `more readily understood with reference ,to the kaccomp anyjing drawings, wherein a practical yembodiment of the invention is illustrated, and in which- Figure l is a plan viewofthe .wave motor in its simplest form, F ig. 2 ,is a side elevation of thedevice,,partsbeing shown in section,-F ig. 3 isan enlargedzdetail elevation of one of the vimproved .power collecting vanes forming a part of my invention, and Fig. 4i is a vertical section taken through lthe vane illustrated in Fig. 3.

In the installationof awave motor ofthe character under consideration it may @be found expedient 5to .resort to Adifferent ,arrangements according to the natureof tthe water and shore where itis desired .to locate the device, that is, ,the Epower collecting units maybe llocated adjacent lthejshore, or they may be efliciently positioned uponthe piling about a pier; the device in the present illustration being shown located in ucomparatively shallow water near a river, lake or yocean shore. i i

In carrying out the invention l employ a number of power collecting vanes, kand in order that each vane may be yheld securely against displacement and to resist the power of the waves in a storm, a base 5, formed of concrete, cement or other suitable material, is provided. Extending yvertically from each base 5 is a pair of'alined brackets 46 within which the trunnions 7 of vanes 8 are adapted to be rotatably mounted. The vanes are lpreferably in alinement with each other and are spaced aparta distance suitable to allow of free movement of each vane without interference from ythe adjacent vane. Each van-e comprises a substantially rectangular frame, having at its opposite longitudinal sides .grooves 9 for the reception of the outer edges 10 o f slidable gates ll. The gates 11 are provided adjacent their opposite longitudinal edges with forwardly extending flanges l2 to prevent the bull; of an incoming wave from wasting over the edges thereof, while a buoyant member 13 is formed upon the opposite side of the gate. Y

F rom vthe'construction of the device so far described, it is obvious that the frames 8 will oscillate by ,the force Iof the waves, `the buoyant member 13 upon the gate of each vane .holding the vanes in vertical or `operative position.

Secured upon the upper ends of the frames and communicating with the upper ends of the guides thereof is a pair of pulleys 14:, over which cables l5 are adapted to lpass to be connected as at 1G with the upper end ofthe gate ll, and to extend outwardly and downwardly ltherefrom passing over guide wheels or pulleys 17 mounted adjacent zthe lower end, ypreferably upon the ypintles 7, of the separate frames. The cables l5l are yconnected to a common cable l18 leading to the shore, power house or other convenient place xfor opera-tion.

4Upon the ,forward face of each of zthe slidable gates l1 is secured apair of eyesvor other suitable securing elements 19, to which is secured one end of a power cable 20.

invention, may be of any preferred construction, a sprocket for each of the power cables 20 being illustrated in the present instance in order that a continuous rotary movement may be imparted to the shaft 28. Veights 24 are secured to the ends of the chains 21 beyond each sprocket wheel to help restore the several vanes to initial or operative position after the wave operating the same has passed or receded, the ratchet mechanism illustrated conventionally at 25 permitting of the sprocket 22 idling in a reverse direction.

It may be found desirable to locate the driven mechanism above briefly referred to upon the shore or pier, it being shown in the presenty instance for convenience in illustration closely relatedto the power vanes.

It vwill be readily understood that upon contact with the first of the vertically disposed vanes the incoming wave will force the same to rock rearwardly upon its pintles to substantially the position shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the power cable 2O will be drawn and the shaft 23 rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow. As the wave passes on to the following vanes a similar action will take place, and it will be readily understood that with a series of vanes so arranged a continuous movement of the shaft 23 will be had. Upon passing the various vanes, the

`weights 24k, together with the buoyancy of the floats 13 upon each of the gates, will restore the vanes to initial or operative position once more. Inasmuch as thev vanes themselves are fixed upon the supports provided it is necessary that some means be provided to compensate for the ebb and flow of the tides, and it is apparent that by operating the cable 18 the gates 11 which constitute the impact elements ofthe various vanes may be raised or lowered accordingly with the rise and fall of the water. To prevent the vanes from swinging too far forwardly, cables or ropes 26 are provided,

each being connected at one end to the frames. `8 and at the opposite end to some point in the rear of its respective vane.

I claim 1. In a wave motor, a driven mechanism, a plurality of vanes each comprising a frame mounted for oscillatory movement, a buoyant gate slidably mounted in'each of said frames, and a connection between each of said gates and said driven mechanism, subvstantially as described.

2. In a wave motor, a driven mechanism,

a plurality of vanes each comprising a frame pivoted at its lower end of oscillatory movement, a buoyant gate slidably mounted in each of said frames, and a power cable connecting each of said gates with said driven mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In a wave motor, a driven mechanism, a plurality of vanes each comprising a frame pivoted at one end for oscillatory movement, a buoyant gate mounted in each of saidy frames for sliding movement toward and away from said pivoted ends, a'pulley adjacent the pivoted end of each of said frames, and a flexible cable connected at one end to each of said gates and passing over said pulleys and connected at its opposite lower end, a pair of vertically extendingY l guides on each of said frames, pulleys adjacent the upper and lower ends of said frames, a gate for each of -said frames adapted to slide within said guides, and a float mounted upon each gate, and cables connected to the upper end of each of said gates and passing over said pulleys whereby said gates may be slid within the said guides, substantially as described. I

5. In a wave motor, a driven mechanism, a plurality of vanes mounted for oscillatory movement and yconnected to operate said driven mechanism, each of said vanes comprising a rectangular frame provided at its lower end with pintles for pivotally mounting the same, pulleys on said pintles, said frames being provided with vertically extending guides, pulleys adjacent the upper ends of said frames and communicating with said guides, gates slidably mounted within saidguides,and cables connected to the upper end of each of said gates and passing over said pulleys for sliding said gates, substantially as described. l

6. In a wave motor, a driven mechanism, a plurality of vanes mounted for oscillatory movement and connected -to operate said driven mechanism, each of said vanes comprising a rectangular frame provided at its lower end with pintles for pivotallymounting the same, pulleys on said pintles, said frames being provided with vertically ex- 7. In a wave motor, a driven mechanism,

a plurality of vanes each comprising a rectangular frame pivoted at one end for oscillatory movement, a gate sldably mounted In testimony whereof I have signed my upon each of said frames and means for name to this specification in the presence of sliding said gates, and a connection between two subscribing Witnesses. said gates and said driven mechanism Whel'e- JOSEPH LACHANCE.

5 by the latter will be operated upon move- Vitnesses ment of the former, substantially as MARY E. MAST7 described. MARTHA C. MAST.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

